Archive for October 2009

I’m quite fascinated with my love hate relationship with writing here. As a result I started paying attention to various ways that we communicate. These include: letters; words – written and oral and electronic; photos and videos; rants and love songs; speeches and cries for help. Then I was reminded of two of my old favorites: T-shirts and Bumper Stickers. My all time favorite T-shirt says on the front: “Don’t They Know Who I am?”; and, on the back, “Who Do They Think They Are?” And for Bumper Stickers, the winners are – they both have to be on the same bumper – “Life’s a Bitch, Then You Die” and “Have a Nice Day.” More and more we have methods available to express whatever it is we wish to express. The electronic/Internet universe has added whole new categories: email; text messaging; tweets; Facebook and other social networking sites; videos – on Youtube and many other sources, and, of course, Blogging. So, I’m back to my question to myself: What is it I want to share and how much time and energy do I want to put into it, and to what end? On any given day I, and I think you readers as well, are motivated by a variety of impulses to reach out or not. There are those who Blog with discipline, consistency and focus – much like those who write regular columns in newspapers – you remember newspapers. Then I thought about whether or not the method one chooses to communicate says anything about the what and the why we are trying to express. The appeal of a tweet with it’s 140 character limit allows for great immediacy, a kind of itching of a scratch to relieve some need. Facebook requires a little more time and effort and activates a larger context with photos and wall writings and other options. This suggests to me that here the desire may be to give a bit more of ourselves. As for Blogging I find it taps into my need to both express something and open up a dialogue on some particular theme. That said, I am very poor at following up on the comments that many of you have made. So maybe all I really want to do is preach/act/teach a bit and wait for the applause. This says something about a lot of what I think motivates these notes in an electronic bottle that we toss out into the Cyber-Sea. “I’m here.” So, maybe it’s not so much applause we want but a reminder that we’re not quite as alone as we often feel. When I take the time to give attention to all the messages I get, in whatever format, I notice that they are all a way of the other giving me a piece of themselves. Consider this a little piece of myself. Thanks for listening.